A museum exhibit with an intriguing array of digital audio and visual elements that I recently visited was “Entertainment Nation” at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, an interactive showcase of American media from the late 19th-century to today created in December 2022. The main overarching theme of “Entertainment Nation” is to weave a long narrative about how the media we consume, the stories that we tell and enjoy, has never existed in isolation but is reflective of the specific cultural conversations, biases and anxieties of the times in which they were created. The exhibit tries to spotlight many previously marginalized narratives in ways that complement and reshape our understanding of familiar ones. The exhibit focuses on- and primarily relates to- an American perspective, using scenes and figures of popular culture that are widely known across the country to engage the audience and educate them about the deeper historical contexts they reveal.
“Entertainment Nation” does multiple things. On the surface, it definitely, perhaps appropriately, tries to entertain. Compared to other sections of the museum, “Entertainment Nation” is louder, with brighter colors and more spotlighted large-scale display cases. However, the core of the exhibit’s intentions are to be educational in a critical, thought-provoking way about American media and culture. The exhibit uses a collection of artifacts, often props from famous films and television shows, timelines with text boxes and graphics, as well as a few select videos on large screens. The screens are mostly in discreet alcoves that are visible from the entire hallway while not necessarily being obtrusive.
The exhibit takes full advantage of the space that it has to create unique videos that present different scenes along the walls, creating something slightly resembling augmented reality, such as “What’s So Funny?”, a presentation of clips from comedians of minority backgrounds who have used humor to navigate and challenge racial and ethnic stereotyping and discrimination. The featured comedians’ casual responses to racist comments or experiences in talk shows and stand-up performances are contextualized with historical clips that illustrate the much more serious racial connotations of many of the remarks in question, juxtaposing the innovative use of comedy with the complex history they are rooted in and encouraging reflection on the persistence and trivialization of racism in modern media discourse. They also contribute an interactive element where the audience is able to play different videos and learn about different topics by standing to one side or pressing a button. I would say that the exhibit does a very positive job at elevating marginalized and underrepresented voices. Analyzing topics from the stereotypical impressions of the Lakota influenced by Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show to the sexual objectification of women in modern television, the exhibit works to address the subtext behind all of its subjects. The shows, films, and music presented in the exhibit include a diverse array of works from artists of wide-ranging social and cultural backgrounds.
The exhibit strives to be accessible in a number of ways, including by having bilingual English and Spanish text on all signs, placards and kiosks, as well as braille on the informational placards. The hallway felt adequately spacious myself, but some sections of the exhibit that contained augmented video presentations may be difficult to enter for individuals with mobility difficulties, especially on a crowded day. The overall organization of the exhibit is roughly chronological, with earlier content at the front reaching the 21st century by the end of the hallway, giving viewers a sense of how media has changed in response to a number of cultural shifts. While the artifacts are in display cases, there are a number of interactive touchscreen kiosks where one can learn more about any particular one. Overall, I thought that “Entertainment Nation” was very informative and thought-provoking, taking its analysis beyond the surface level in a way that is digestible and engaging to a variety of audiences.
History Against the Grain 